Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker. The film has taken about US$1 billion at the worldwide box office. Photo / Supplied
Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker. The film has taken about US$1 billion at the worldwide box office. Photo / Supplied
Joker director Todd Phillips has clarified the will-they-won't-they rumours about a sequel to the successful film.
Last week The Hollywood Report said Warner Brothers was forging ahead with the follow-up to the Joaquin Phoenix-starring super-anti-hero title. But Deadline countered that with a report saying no deals were in place forPhillips or Phoenix to reprise their roles.
Now Phillips has confirmed to IndieWire that no deals are in place, but that doesn't mean a follow-up to what's reportedly the most profitable comic book film ever won't happen.
"Well, a movie doesn't make a billion dollars and they don't talk about a sequel," Phillips said. "Joaquin and I have publicly said we've been talking about a sequel since week two of shooting because it's a fun thing to talk about. But [The Hollywood Reporter] article was referring to other things than that that were just frankly untrue. I don't know how it gets started, if it's some [movie studio] assistant trying to gain street cred with a writer."
"Here's the real truth about a sequel," IndieWire reported. "While Joaquin and I have talked about it, and while touring the world with Warner Bros executives — going to Toronto, and Venice, and other places — of course, we're sitting at dinner and they're saying, 'So, have you thought about…?' But, talking about contracts, there's not a contract for us to even write a sequel, we've never approached Joaquin to be in a sequel. Will that happen? Again, I just think the article was anticipatory at best."
